Going to the south of France on vacation? A must visit is Villefranche-sur-Mer, former Home Away From Home of the Sixth Fleet where there was a thriving American community, including Department of Defense Dependents Schools, before the fleet’s departure in 1967 when de Gaulle decided that France would leave NATO.
On January 20, 1967, the US 6th Fleet left Villefranche as a result of de Gaulle’s orders. In January 2017 on the 50th anniversary of the 6th Fleet’s departure from Villefranche, the 52 minute documentary Home Away from Home, in English with French subtitles, was released. It retraces the history of the US Sixth Fleet’s presence in Villefranche-sur-Mer through the memoirs of US Sixth Fleet veterans, their children, and Villefranche residents with whom they always kept very strong links. The film includes old movies and videos filmed in January 2017 during the 50th anniversary of the Sixth Fleet's departure in Villefranche with the participation of MC CLIC Monaco.
The US Sixth Fleet in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Audio tour with map in English Villefranche-sur-Mer and the U.S. Sixth Fleet